Technology is continuously evolving to face new challenges during the global pandemic. Where traditional businesses struggled to stay afloat, businesses that had implemented NetSuite thrived during these hard times. NetSuite has been helping businesses cope with day-to-day operational and management struggles for more than two decades, and it never fails to amaze its users with new features. To meet the ever-increasing demand for critical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as masks, cleaning equipment, and other services, NetSuite has introduced Community Exchange. This innovative service offers more than 20,000 customers a unified platform to browse a huge repository of supplies and services.
The following guide explains the NetSuite Community Exchange program in detail and how it benefits NetSuite customers for free.
What is NetSuite Community Exchange
Whether you are looking for hand sanitizers, gloves, masks, or other services such as project management or consulting, NetSuite Community Exchange is a perfect option for you. It’s essentially an online platform that connects different NetSuite customers and partners to share different products and services.
Not only that but the NetSuite Community Exchange offers you complete product and searches filter options.
The Ideology of NetSuite Community Exchange
As the name suggests, NetSuite has designed an innovative platform to support and give back to the community. The mantra is simple – NetSuite connects its online customers and partners, exchange essential products and services, thus creating an online support network. As a result, this entire process helps different businesses to resume office safely following the SoPs.
How to Use NetSuite Community Exchange?
The good news is you can browse through the available products without creating your online account. These products include:
- PPE – Surgical mask
- Glycerin
- Alcohol
- Clothing
- Gloves
- Headgear
- Equipment
- NetSuite Implementation Services
- NetSuite configuration and customization
However, you need to create your account by entering your email address and password to register as a Community Exchange member to contact a supplier. Alternatively, you also need to create an account if you want to sell your products.
The process of browsing through the platform is straightforward after registering. Using the product keyword, you can use the filter or the search option to buy a specific product, such as PPE masks or other cleaning products.
Additionally, you can view the supplier information, such as phone number and email address, available on the product’s description page.
Selling a Product on NetSuite Community Exchange
If you are a supplier who wants to sell essential products on the online NetSuite Community Exchange platform, you first need to log in as a community member. After the sign-up process is successful, you can select “Submit New Product.”
Next, you need to fill the form and enter the product description you want to add to the Community Exchange listing. Lastly, select the “Submit” button to confirm.
Once you have registered for an account, you can access My Account information to edit your contact details, allowing the customers to contact you directly.
Additionally, you can also access the products you list as a seller following these steps:
- First, you need to log in to your account by entering your username and password.
- Go to your account information under the “My Account” tab.
- You’ll see your organization or brand name on the top right corner of the web page.
- Once you click on your company name, a pop-up window appears on your screen.
- Here, you need to select “Account Overview” to see the options to access the product listings.
Editing the Products
The NetSuite Community Exchange program offers different facilities to the sellers to showcase their products online to connect to the customers looking for the respective services. That’s why all the product listings you create come with a default image according to the category type.
The good news is you can also upload a different image that represents your business, service, and products using the below steps:
- Go to the “Submit New Product form” and select “Choose File” to add a relevant image for your product.
- However, you need to read the instructions before uploading an image. For instance, you can upload a JPG or PNG file of 600 x 6000 or 1200 x 1200 pixels. Unfortunately, the NetSuite Community Exchange program doesn’t allow you to upload a file of more than 150 KB.
Additionally, you can edit the already listed products or additional product information by navigating to the “Account Overview” and selecting “My Products.” Here, you can view all your products under the option “All My Products.”
Next, you can select the “Product Submission #” that you want to update. Finally, there is a list of fields available such as product name, description, etc., that you can edit.
As a seller on NetSuite Community Exchange, you should know that you can list the products only under one category.
Furthermore, all the product’s names should be unique. It means you need to change the name of the product you upload, even if the names are similar.
You must be wondering what you should do if your product is sold or unavailable in your inventory. Don’t worry, as you can inactivate your products on the NetSuite Community Exchange platform.
First, you need to navigate to your company name, present on the upper right corner of the website. Next, select “Account Overview,” go to “My Products,” and choose “All My Products,” where you can view all your product listings. Lastly, you can select “Inactivate” for the products that aren’t available.
However, you can always reactivate your inactive products by updating the “Product Availability” field against all the products. Here, you can select the field as “Available” or “Out of Stock.” Then, finally, select update to confirm the product availability option.
NetSuite Community Exchange Upcoming Features
Since NetSuite Community Exchange is an online platform accessible by International customers, that’s why NetSuite is all geared to add news features:
- International Registration – This feature will allow companies from all around the world to connect to global customers.
- International Submission – Allows worldwide customers to connect with different sellers to buy essential products and services.
- Product Pricing – The seller will be able to include the price for the products.
- Drop-Shipping – This improvement will enhance the overall online buying and selling experience.
As the world struggles to adapt to the “new normal” imposed by the global pandemic, NetSuite Community Exchange offers an interactive platform to connect its online community to the 500 partners offering essential services and goods. If you aren’t using NetSuite for your business yet, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to get an edge over your competitors in this highly versatile post-pandemic phase. You can rely on a certified NetSuite partner like Folio3 to assist you in customizing NetSuite for your business and implementing and integrating it into your current business model.
